The Indian football team went down fighting to Australia in their AFC Asian Cup 2023 opener. The Blue Tigers defended steadfastly in the first half, but conceded through an error immediately after the interval, before conceding another later on. Jackson Irvine and Jordan Bos scored the goals for the Socceroos, propelling them to the top of the Group B table for the time being. (As It Happened | Football News)
Igor Stimac's men started strongly, with Lallianzuala Chhangte racing down the wing to carve out a half-chance in the opening minutes of the match. Sunil Chhetri missed a gilt-edged opportunity later, as he failed to guide a cross from the right past Matt Ryan in the Australia goal.
As the match progressed, India set themselves in a low block to guard the area in and around their box, inviting pressure onto themselves. However, they defended bravely, putting their bodies on the line when necessary, which earned the praise of the Indian football fans on the internet, in spite of the loss.
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AFC Asian Cup 2023, India 0-2 Australia - Details
Line-ups
India - Sunil Chhetri (C), Gurpreet Singh (GK), Rahul Bheke, Subhashish Bose, Sandesh Jhingan, Suresh Singh, Manvir Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Lalengmawia Apuia, Nikhil Poojary, Deepak Tangri
Australia - Matt Ryan (C/GK), Kye Rowles, Martin Boyle, Connor Metcalfe, Mitchell Duke, Aziz Behich, Keanu Baccus, Harry Souttar, Jackson Irvine, Craig Goodwin, Gethin Jones
Score
India 0-2 Australia; Irvine (50'), Bos (73').
India will face Uzbekistan next in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 on January 18, 2024. Five days later, they will play Syria in their final group game.
